Crutch.



W. CLIFFORD.

, CRUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 5.1917.

Patented Apt 30, 1918.

WALTER CLIFFORD, 0F LON-DON, ENGLAND.

CRUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

Application filed November 5, 1917. Serial No. 200,351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER Cnrrrono, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Crutches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to crutches for cripples, and it has for its ob ect so to con struct these appliances as to relieve, or prevent, pressure under the armpits of the user, and so obviate what is known as crutch paralysis, which is caused by the great strain which comes under the arm-pits and is occasioned by the use of crutches as now constructed. Y

And in order that my invention may be readily understood, I will now describe it fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the 1mproved crutch, and

Fig. 2 an underside view of one form of seating contrivance made use of therewlth, and drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1.

For the purpose of my invention there is pivotally suspended, at any suitable points between the crutch stafi's a, say at the lower part of the arm-supports al by chains 6 (or by straps and buckles, and pulleys) a seat 0, or other appropriate supporting de vice designed to receive the weight of the body of the user, and by means of which he is suspended, thereby relieving him of any pressure under his arm-pits, or on the hand, or hands, and so preventing soreness, as 1t is possible, with my construction of crutch, to use the same without the hands, as hereinafter explained.

These chains 6, are attached by hooks b, at their lower ends, to cross-bars c 0 provided with eyes 0 or with hooks, rings, swivels, or studs, said cross-bars being connected together by a bar 0 extending between them, and between theserross-bars the seat is mounted. The bar t is disposed below the seat or supporting contrivance 0 and has upturned ends which are securedto the upturned ends 0 which are secured to the central portions of the cross-bars c and 0 The chains 6 are attached, at their upper ends, by means of their links to yokes or levers d, pivoted at (P, to the inner faces of the arm-supports a and terminating in hooks (Z Thus, according to which ones of the links of the chains are hooked on to the hooks (Z of the yokes (Z, the adjustment of the seat, that is to say the raisingyor the lowering, of the same is readily obtained, so adapting the seat to the stature of the user, and by thus relieving him of pressure renders the appliance comfortable for him. The seat or supporting contrivance 0 has a forwardly projecting bar or arm 0 connected at its front end to the center of the forward cross-bar c and to the rear of this seat or supporting contrivance springs 8 are attached and also connected to the opposite extremities of the rear cross-bar 0 as clearly shown by Fig. 2. Connected to the bar or arm 0 by a hook c is an adjusting screwrod 0 which extends through the center of the bar 0 and is engaged by an adjusting nut 0 The seat or supporting contrivance may take the form of an ordinary cycle saddle (as shown in the drawings) and may be made so as to be inflated; or it may be stuffed or padded with an appropriate resilient material; or it may take the form of suitably shaped pads, which may also be constructed as to be inflatable, or to receive padding or stuifing. When in the form of pads, these would pass under the fork of the user and would support him between the crutches, thereby obviating any pressure under the arm-pits. Or, again, the suspended supporting device may take the form of a pair of breeches. In every case the supporting device would be suspended substantially in the manner above described between the crutch staffs.

The seat, or other weight-relieving and suspended supporting device, being detachable from the chains, or the like, any of the forms of seat device abovementioned may be employed with the same pair of crutches.

Grutches constructed as above set forth may be secured to the body of the user by means of straps adapted to be passed around his chest, or over his shoulders, and arranged to buckle in front, so leaving him the free use of his arms (or arm, should he have lost one) while permitting him to get about easily on his crutches. And in a case where the user has lost an arm or a hand, the crutch corresponding to the lost arm or hand can be secured to the stump of such arm by means of a strap and buckle, or otherwise, so enabling him to get about freely, simply by maintaining the stump and crutch staff firmly pressed against his side.

Any, or all, of these supporting devices or contrivances may be so constructed as to prevent pressure on the perineum.

Orutches constructed as above described obviate the necessity of using springs with the arm-supports, and at the bottoms of the stafis.

Having now described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1; The combination, With a pair of crutches,of a pivotally suspended seat, and means for adjusting the said seat, to suit the requirements of the user.

2. In a crutch of the classspecified, the combination With crutch members having the usual arm supports, a movably suspended supporting contrivance, a suspending means pivoted at a suitable point to each arm support, and flexible suspending means adjustably and detachably connected to the suspending means and to the supporting contrivance.

3. In a crutch device of the character specified, the combination of crutch members having the usual arm supports, and means located between and connected to the said members for supporting a part of the human body between said members and materially relieving the arm supports of the body Weight.

4. In a crutch device of the class specified,

the combination of crutch members, and

body-engaging supporting means between the crutch members, said means being adjustably connected to and movably suspended between said crutch members.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER CLIFFORD. Witnesses E. WILLS, Ennns'r on Bass.

(loples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

